Oprah Winfrey hit the Barack Obama campaign trail this weekend, starting in Des Moines on Saturday before hitting South Carolina and New Hampshire on Sunday. In Iowa she spoke to 10,000 and by the time she got to SC there were 30,000 out to watch the media mogul support the presidential candidate. Even Oprah herself admitted to being nervous up there, but quickly gained momentum during her 17 minute speech where she was anything but shy about her support of and admiration for Barack. She said, "There are those who say it's not his time, that he should wait his turn. Think about where you'd be in your life if you'd waited when people told you to...I'm sick of politics as usual...We need Barack Obama."

Going on, "I understand the difference between the Book Club and a free refrigerator...I understand the difference between that and this critical moment in our nation's history...Over the years, I have voted for as many Republicans as I have Democrats...This isn't about partisanship for me. This is very, very personal. I'm here because of my personal conviction about Barack Obama and what I know he can do for America." While Oprah is just about as big as it gets in terms of star power, who knows what kinds of celebrities she'll inspire. Will Smith, for one, is ready to pack his bags at a moment's notice to join Obama. What do you think — were you paying attention to the Oprah-bama tour this weekend?

I love Oprah, no shes not going to change who I might vote for, but its nice to hear other peoples opinions.
I love how people complain on here. If you are that mad why waste your time writing stuff on here.

I love Oprah, no shes not going to change who I might vote for, but its nice to hear other peoples opinions. I love how people complain on here. If you are that mad why waste your time writing stuff on here.

I really don't understand why you would be "afraid" of him. Most people that run for office have been working hard in politics for years before they run, it is a job requirement. Plus, I don't see how it is to his detriment that he has been working hard to make communities better places to live. I would love to hear why you think differently. Not to be snarky, but out of genuine curiousity.

I really don't understand why you would be "afraid" of him. Most people that run for office have been working hard in politics for years before they run, it is a job requirement. Plus, I don't see how it is to his detriment that he has been working hard to make communities better places to live.
I would love to hear why you think differently. Not to be snarky, but out of genuine curiousity.

I agree with you Betty in that his campaign for President has probably been going on for 15 years. I think that is often true of candidates. In fact, I think that what Al Gore is doing right now is his campaign for the next Presidential election. I always have and always will admire what Oprah has made of her life. I do not agree with her choice of a Presidential candidate, however. I think that her endorsement matters...but not THAT much.

It affects everyone even though so many choose to ignore because of the whole money=power theory....which is partly true. If more voices would speak out I am certain that change is possible and if not ... well like I said Im moving to Canada bwahahahha

Spew Away, I agree with you that we need a healthier interest in politics and how it affects us.I'm on the outside, looking in, as far as the Presidential race, but who is elected definately affects me here.

Spew Away, I agree with you that we need a healthier interest in politics and how it affects us.
I'm on the outside, looking in, as far as the Presidential race, but who is elected definately affects me here.

I dont think she will be threat at all. He will never get my vote just because I enjoy her book club ha ha ha. If you research enough there is a lot more to Barack then what is on his website. His running is a 15 year plot, the books, the speeches and his support are all part of it. Im not really a conspiracy theorist but this candidate along with a few others scare me. I really dont care what anyone thinks of my opinion at this point... lol. Im going to spew spew away on this...as I urge others to do!Jinx you rock!

I dont think she will be threat at all. He will never get my vote just because I enjoy her book club ha ha ha. If you research enough there is a lot more to Barack then what is on his website. His running is a 15 year plot, the books, the speeches and his support are all part of it. Im not really a conspiracy theorist but this candidate along with a few others scare me. I really dont care what anyone thinks of my opinion at this point... lol. Im going to spew spew away on this...as I urge others to do!
Jinx you rock!

For sure Country Betty, I found your list interesting to say the least. I only meant I thought this was the norm for every candidate.
I find it extremely interesting that Oprah is found as such a "threat". I've never witnessed this before in regards to celebrity backing.

For sure Country Betty, I found your list interesting to say the least. I only meant I thought this was the norm for every candidate. I find it extremely interesting that Oprah is found as such a "threat". I've never witnessed this before in regards to celebrity backing.

HautesHusband ...Getting people engaged and curious about our leaders is a win for all of us, whether you like Obama or not. I'd love to see more of it. We all should.Couldnt have said it better myself.

HautesHusband ...Getting people engaged and curious about our leaders is a win for all of us, whether you like Obama or not. I'd love to see more of it. We all should.
Couldnt have said it better myself.

Thanks to this blog my boyfriend and I were up till Midnight talking about this election.
No No Jill its ok, I think my message to you cleared that all up. This is a thread that is needed and the conversation yesterday was great!

I think that a Governor's experience is more relevant to the President of the US. A State Governor, like the President, is an executive office. Senators have a legislative role not an executive role. My guess is that more of the former Presidents' pasts included being state governor than included being a Senator.
Good for Oprah! If some of her audience develops an interest in politics and learns how to stay informed as a result, that would be a good thing.
PS: for the record, I can name at least a few senators
Harry Ried Majority Leader from Nevada
Danniel Inouye of HI he was in the Ken Burns WWII series that was just on PBS
Frank Lautenburg of NJ met him briefly when I was like 12
Orrin Hatch of Utah He makes CD's of him singing. I think that's funny.
I could keep going...

Fun thread. LOL at the member who commented "Whew! Just wait for CitizenSugar!" Heh. So true.
If the genius of "Oprah is a bloated, self-serving righteous cow" and "Oprah is a bloated tick" is any indication, things there are sure to be juicy.
On the plus side, though, I'm absolutely encouraged by folks who are digging around enough to learn about the issues. No matter where you fall in the political spectrum, that's awesome.
Haute77 was absolutely correct when she noted that millions of Americans just don't give a damn about current events around the world.
The facts back it up. The Pew Research Center conducted a poll in April 2007 and showed that 31% of the public couldn't name the Vice President.
WTF? A full one-third ... of Americans ... don't know that our VP is Dick Cheney? Huh? And this was in April 2007, not right after these folks got elected in 2000?
Have we not all at least enjoyed the Bush & Cheney imitations on SNL in the last 7 years? (Oh, right, nobody watches SNL anymore ...)
Moreover, American voter turnout horribly low compared to other democracies. Many European countries regularly have 80% or more of their citizens out to vote. In America, we call it a good year if we hit 50%.
Anyway, if a third of us can't name our Vice President, it's not a stretch to say that we're probably not hip to other facts, like what our senators and other elected leaders are up to. And if we don't know, then when they screw up, it's OK. They stay in power ... things don't change ... and we care less ... which keeps the same people in power ... so things don't change ... then we care even less ... eh, you see where this is going.
The real point of this whole Oprah/Obama thing is this:
Oprah will get a few more people to pay attention and think about current events and their leaders. Maybe not a lot, but a few.
Yes, it's sad that it takes Oprah to make this happen, but hey. If those folks are being brought into the fold for the first time, paying attention for the first time, then that's the magic. That's what matters.
It's the same reason that bringing YouTube into the mix on the debates was great. The YouTube brand will make a few more people stop and go "hmmm" and check these folks out. Again, maybe not a lot, but a few.
Getting people engaged and curious about our leaders is a win for all of us, whether you like Obama or not. I'd love to see more of it. We all should.

Country Betty, I wasn't mad so I hope that wasn't directed towards me! Sorry if I came across that way!!!!
"the war has to end, im just not 100% on the Exit Strategy I agree with at this time."
I REALLY agree with this. It is a tough issue. From my research, it appears to me that there is no "good" solution. We can't win there. There are too many people in the region who feel the US is forcing their morality on them. We can show them the way all we want, but if they don't want democracy, we can't force it on them. That is why I think regional cooperation is key. Non-Iraqis are fighting us there, because as neighbors they have a vested interest in how things turn out. As a country, we need to acknowledge that and work with it. Working against it hasn't worked so far!
I also think that it is impossible to keep the number of troops we have over there for any period of time. The troops are already depleated, and at home in the US we are so vulnerable for disaster! I was once in a disaster where I would not have had drinking water if it was not for the National Guard. I live in CA, and we didn't have enough National Guard to help with the devestating wild fires earlier this year.
I agree with you SO MUCH when you say it is great to have discussions like these. I am going to be re-evaluating my opinion so many times over the course of the next year! It is a great thing to discuss, evaluate, and evolve!